How severe is CVE-2008-4577?

CVE-2008-4577 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2008-4577 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2008-4577?

CVE-2008-4577 primarily affects Dovecot. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2008-4577?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2008-4577 published?

CVE-2008-4577 was published on 2008-10-15 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2008-4577

CVE-2008-4577 is a high-severity vulnerability in Dovecot with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-863.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 6.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-863
Affected product: Dovecot
Published: 2008-10-15
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The ACL plugin in Dovecot before 1.1.4 treats negative access rights as if they are positive access rights, which allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-4577?: The ACL plugin in Dovecot before 1.1.4 treats negative access rights as if they are positive access rights, which allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.
How severe is CVE-2008-4577?: CVE-2008-4577 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2008-4577 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-4577?: CVE-2008-4577 primarily affects Dovecot. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-4577?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2008-4577 published?: CVE-2008-4577 was published on 2008-10-15 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:dovecot:dovecot:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:10.3-11.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.04:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:9.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Dovecot

CVE-2019-11500 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Dovecot before 2.2.36.4 and 2.3.x before 2.3.7.2 (and Pigeonhole before 0.5.7.2), protocol processing can fail for…
CVE-2022-30550 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in the auth component in Dovecot 2.2 and 2.3 before 2.3.20. When two passdb configuration…
CVE-2019-7524 — High (CVSS 8.8): In Dovecot before 2.2.36.3 and 2.3.x before 2.3.5.1, a local attacker can cause a buffer overflow in the indexer-worker…
CVE-2026-24031 — High (CVSS 7.7): Dovecot SQL based authentication can be bypassed when auth_username_chars is cleared by admin. This vulnerability…
CVE-2019-3814 — High (CVSS 7.7): It was discovered that Dovecot before versions 2.2.36.1 and 2.3.4.1 incorrectly handled client certificates. A remote…
CVE-2026-27858 — High (CVSS 7.5): Attacker can send a specifically crafted message before authentication that causes managesieve to allocate large amount…

All CVEs affecting Dovecot →

Other CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48286 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Campaign Classic (ACC) versions 7.4.3 build 9396 and earlier are affected by an Incorrect Authorization…
CVE-2026-48303 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Campaign Classic (ACC) versions 7.4.3 build 9394 and earlier are affected by an Incorrect Authorization…
CVE-2026-44330 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's NEF mounts the…
CVE-2026-46595 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Previously, CVE-2024-45337 fixed an authorization bypass for misused ssh server configurations; if any other type of…
CVE-2026-33105 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authorization in Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over…
CVE-2026-32213 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authorization in Azure AI Foundry allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.

Browse all CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) vulnerabilities →